Winding machine



March 20, 1945. H. E. SWIFT ETAL WINDING MACHINE Filed June 2, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 ENTR W aw" '4 l||||lll llllillllllll IIIIIIWITW IINIIIIIIIHIIllllll lllllllllllllM March 20, 1945. v H. Elsw T EflL 2,372,136

' WINDING MACHINE Filed June 2, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR March 20, 1945'. H. E. SWIFT ETAL WINDING MACHINE Filed June 2, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 March 20, 1945. H. E. SWIFT ETAL WINDING MACHINE Filed June 2, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Mar. 20, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

Howard E. Swift and Edward R. Davis, Westfield,

Mass., assignors to Foster Machine Company, Westfield, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts 19 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in winding machinesv and more par ticularly to a machine adapted for the purpose of winding packages of so-called pineapple" shape, that is with tapered ends, thedegree of taper at either or both ends being selective.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being'realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims. a

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate modifications of the invention, and, to ether with the description, serve, to explain the principles Figure is a plan view of the winding mechanism with certain parts omitted, to show the mechanism in position to maintain a constant length of yarn guide traverse and a full wound package produced therewith:

Figure 6 is another plan view of the winding mechanism with certain parts omitted, showing the winder at the beginning of its operation, and with some parts changed from those shown in Figure 3 to show the mechanism in position to move some parts through a greater amplitude than shown in Figure 3; V

Figure '1 is a plan view similar to Figure 6 bu with the winder shown in full package position;

vAmong the more specific objects of the pres ent invention are the provision of:

A novel and improved apparatus particularly Means for controlling the traverse of the yarn guide from its driving means so that the relative extent of movement of the driving means and of the guide may be. subjected to controlled var-t iation as by the attained diameter of the pack- Figures 8 and 9 are fragmentary detailed side and front elevations of the yarn guide; and

Figureslo and 11 are fragmentary detailed from; and side elevations of a modified form of the interconnecting studs assembled on theirguide bar. V

For convenience "yarn is hereafter used to mean thread, yarn or other filamentary material. I

age;

Means co-relat'ed with the foregoing to' give the yarn guide a traversing movement either less than, equal to or greater'than that of the primary traversing mechanism;

Positive control means for the formation of the package ends to predetermined shapes, such means being easily andsimply attached;

Improved means for attaching, lubricating and otherwise servicing the apparatus;

A dependable, easily manufactured, light, inexpensive mechanism for the purpose intended.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, means are provided for positively rotating the core at a relatively high speed while it is supported on a driven spindle,

and this spindle is preferably located near the top of the machine frame where it is easily accessible. Geared to the spindle and driven there .with are cam means for reciprocating a traverse member at a. relatively constant velocity, and this member is supported on a pivotally or swingably mounted frame so that it may move from the package as the package builds up through the winding of yarn on the core.

A yarn guide is reciprocably carried by the pivoted or swinging frame and is moved back and forth at a relatively constant distance close to the surface of the package or even against the surface of the package, the distance being maintained in the illustrative embodiment by means of a roller or other member mounted on the frame, bearing against the surface of the package and supported between the package and the yarn guide.

Means are provided for interconnecting the I winding speed, while an oppositely inclined cam member or secondary guide takes its motion from the primary guide through a movable coupling, which coupling is given a motion which is the resultant of the motion of the primary guide and of a tertiary guide, said tertiary guide in tumbeing moved or positioned according to certain factors hereafter described. The secondary guide carries the yarn guide through which the yarn is actually delivered to the surface of the package; thus' the package build-up results from a complex of controlled conditions. In this connection the word fixed unless otherwise qualifled means fixed within the system of parts carried by the swinging frame, and such terms as vertical and horizontal are used in a general sense rather than with strict accuracy. The various parts called vertical or horizontal will obviously move several degrees out of true position as the swinging frame tilts according to the build-up of the package.

The factors determining the action of the tertiary guide are the thickness which the package has attained, this being reflected in the distance of th swinging frame from the immovable bed frame of the machine, and the connections made between the bed frame and the tertiary guide, which modify a certain swing of the tertiary guide about a pivot transverse to the direction of movement of the primary guide.

The foregoing general description and the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention are by way of explanation of the preferred embodiment herein selected for purposes of illustration, but are not restrictive thereof.

Referring now particularly to the various figures of the drawings, the improved winding mechanismof the present invention'is shown as applied to a standard winding machine generally known in the trade as the Foster precise winder." The mechanism ofthe present invention is carried in the usual manner at the top of a main frame I, which carries lower down a cam shaft 2 driven by suitable mechanism 3. A cam 4 on the cam shaft imparts reciprocating traverse motion to sleeve 5 through suitable connections such as a roller stud 6. The sleeve 5, which slides on a guide rod 1, terminates at its outer end in an upstanding finger 5A to which the primary guide i! is directly connected. The apparatus of the present invention is supported on a guideway 8 by an arm 8A pivoted about the cam shaft 2, by which arrangement the entire traverse system rocks outward as the package P builds up.

As best seen in Figure 2, the guideway 8 is composed generally-of a frame 83 to which a front plate 80 ands. base plate I! are suitably secured, the latter conveniently held by upright studs l5 near each end. Other upright studs 16 further out hold blocks 24 to which an elevated beaded cover 25 is secured by screws 24A. The cover is downwardly flanged to fit over a. corresponding upward edge flange of the base plate, and is beaded as at 25A and 253 to guide the yarn Y, both beads of the cover directing the detail, it will be mentioned that the entire tilting assembly follows the face of the cone by the power of an adjustable tension spring Edd suitably attached at its respective ends to the stationery main frame l and the swinging frame 8, and contact with the cone face is made by .a long pressure roll ifll with bearings at either end in a yoke ill about as long as the front plate $0, and pivoted as at 85 to a'bracket M6 on the outer face of such plate with a stop plate I it! above and a collar and spring We or other yam to the yarn guide 32 above contact with the cover face, and hence away from oil or'dust thereon. A felt strip 26 riveted to the underside of the cover over the locus of the tertiary guide can be oiled through appropriate holes 21 in-th'" cover, thus providing meansfor lubricating the guide parts without danger of getting oil on the yarn. Before describing the guide mechanism in suitable arrangement to give some resilience. An adjustable stop screw 54 bracketed to the main from i limits the outward movement of the swinging traverse system.

The guide mechanism in detail comprises the three guides mentioned in the general description and their associated parts. Immediately on top of the base plate 83 their is a guide yoke l8 carrying the tertiary guide bar 88 and pivoted at mid length on the base plate by a vertical stud M. An arm to or 30A rigid with the yoke extends to the left outside the guideway, as seen in Figures 3, 4, 6 and '7, and a link 29 connects the outer end of such arm with an anchorage 28 on the fixed frame i, the effect being that at the beginning of the wind, as in Figure 6, the end of the bar i8 opposite the base of the package is farthest from the package but during the building up motion, as the winder tilts further out, the

arm being held by the link causes the yoke l8 and bar it to gradually assume the opposite inclination, as in Figure '7.

The ends of the yoke .lll an upstanding and hold the bar i8 high-enough off the base of the yoke to leave clearance for movement of the primary guide H, which is a, horizontal plate at the the 'top of finger 5A, all as shown in Figure 2. This plate ill is slotted at an angle (about in the illustrative embodiment) leftward. The secondary guide 2| is another flat plate parallel to-plate H but above the bar i8, slidable on the rod 22, and slotted oppositely to the slot in plate A finger 2|A rigid with the plate 2! projects towards the package, carrying the yarn-laying guide 32. A connecting element or runner block i9 which slides on the bar i8 and with that bar constitutes the tertiary guide, engages by top and bottom studs 20 and 20A with the slots in the primaryand secondary guides respectively. From the above it will be observed the amplitude of end-to-end travel of the yarn-guide 32 may or may not be the same as that of the primary guide [1, according to the position of tertiary guide bar l8; this is apparent from a comparison of Figures 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. v

Figure 10 shows an end elevation of the top and bottom studs 20, 20A in block I9 while Figure 11 shows a side elevation of a, modified form in which the studs 20 and 20A are offset with reference to each other, stud 20 being further from the tertiary guide bar l8 than stud 2llA.

With the bottom stud 20A retained in its location and with the top stud. 20 located further away from the tertiary guide bar l8, as the'bar ll is'inclined in either direction, the block l9 also is inclined which moves the top stud 2d further around and thereby moves the secondary guide further alongin its travel.

I! has carried the block I! with it to the left, the bar 18 has also carried the block far out with respect to the slot in I I, and thus also far out with respect to the slot in the secondary guide 2|. As a result, 2| is at its extreme left position along its guide rod 22, and thus the yarn guide finger ZIA, with the yarn guide 32, is at the position to start the first layer of the package. This layer is guided to its top turn Y2 by movement of the primary guide I! imparted by cam 4, transmitted to the secondary guide 2| through block 19 and itsstuds. the block towardsthe bottoms of the intersecting slots, and thus pushes the secondary guide 2| to the right beyond the travel of the primary guide, just as it was tothe left beyond the travel of the primary guide at th beginning of the stroke. All this is shown in dotted lines at the right of Figure 6. Thus at the beginning of the wind the secondary guide travels through a greater amplitude than the constant path of reciprocation of the primary guide.

Gradually, as the package builds up, the difference diminishes until the final condition shown in Figure 7 obtains at the winding of the outermost layer. Here the travel of the secondary guide is less than that of the primary guide because at the base turn Y3 the studs on the block '9 are close to the bottoms of their respective slots and at the top turn Y4, as shown in dotted lines, they are close to the tops of the slots. By varying the speed with which the angle of tertiary guide bar 18 changes, the taper of the base and of the top of the cone can be changed. This can be done by substituting a different length of arm such as 30A for 30, changing the length of link 29, and by other appropriate mechanical arrangements. The farther the bar l8 varies from parallelism to the face of the package, the longer and gentler the shoulder slope will be. The ultimate of the converse of this proposition is that if the bar I8 is always parallel to. the face of the package the shoulders will be perpendicular to that face. Such a wind can be accomplished by the arranged shown in Figure 5, where the link 29 is disconnected, and a clamp screw llB set in the middle of a swing limit slot HA, thus permanently clamping the yoke l so that the bar I8 is always parallel to the face of the package, being unaffected by the tilt of the arm 8A. Here as the block I9 is reciprocated by the primary guide l1 it cannot travel either in or out in the slot, and thus the relation of the.

secondary guide to the primary guide remains constant, with the result that every layer of yarn on the cone is the same length. Since the package face is conical, this actually gives a slight concave conicity to the top and a convex conicity to the base. The solid and dotted positions of the guide in Figure are not the extreme positions.

Similarly, the bar l8 may be held in positions non-parallel to the face of the package by disconnecting link 29 and clamping screw l I B in the desired position in its slot HA. With the bar 18 held in the position shown in Figure 6 and with link 29 disconnectedthe maximum yarn traverse will be obtained, andshorter traverses may be obtained by moving the bar counterclockwise until'it is in'the position shown in Figure 7. When held in that position, the minimum traverse will be obtained, the yarn traverse for each position of the bar l8 remaining constant. during the whole process of winding as the bar -I 8 is held in a fixed position. Intermediate positions of The slant of the bar 18 brings the bar 18 will produce yarn traverses of intermediate length.

The secondary guide 2| is upturned as at 2|A,

. Figure 2, so that the thread guide 32 can deliver the yarn tangent to the the bearing roll lfll and close to the bite of that roll on the package face, thus avoiding whipping and backlash, particularly at the ends of the laying traverse. The

' yarn may be kept from jumping out of its guide by a split sleeve guard, or an incomplete wire loop guard such as 3|, surrounding the yarn guide, so that only when turned to bring the opening in the guard opposite the opening in the yarn guide can the yarn be lifted in or out.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a.

variety of shoulder forms may be obtained by appropriate variations of the relatively moving parts, as by changing the pivot point of the guide yoke III or by substituting guide plates slotted in patterns other than those shown. for either or both the guides i1 and 2! It will also be understood that the various slots, studs, guide rods and similar elements shown are not the only forms in which the controlling surfaces of the invention may be made, but that other specific relatively movable contacting surfaces could be employed for guiding purposes.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What we claim is: I

1, In a winding mechanism of the type mounted to swing away from a package spindle as the package builds up, a yarn delivery means, secondary guide means carrying said delivery means, primary guide means subjected to reciprocation of constant amplitude, a movable operative connection from said primary to said secondary guide, and a tertiary guide for said connection.

2. In a winding mechanism of the type mounted to swing away from a package spindle as the package builds up, a yarn delivery means, secondary guide means carrying said delivery means, primary guide means subjected to reciprocation of constant amplitude, a movable operative connection from said primary to said secondary guide, and means related to the amount of buildup of the package for altering the effective point of said connection.

3. In a winding mechanism of the type mounted to swing away from a package spindle as the package builds up, a roller adapted to bear against the package face, a yarn guide adjacent the line of contact of said roller and said face, and a movable finger carrying said yarn guide, a cam element fixed to said finger and constituting therewith a secondary guide, a trackway parallel to the package face whereon said secondary guide is constrainedto move; a primary guide comprising a cam, element and means for imparting longitudinal reciprocation of constant amplitude thereto, a trackway parallel to the package .face whereon said primary guide is constrained to move, whereby the pathways of said two cam elements are parallel and adjacent but spaced apart; and tertiary guide means comprising an element connecting said two cam elements to drive the secondary from the primary, said connecting element being movable with respect to both, said tertiary guide means including a trackway whereon said connecting element is constrained to move, and means for positionin said trackway at an inclination in either direction from the package face or parallel thereto, but always in a plane parallel to the paths of said two cam elements.

4. A winding mechanism of the type mounted to swing away from a package spindle as the package builds up, comprising in combination a frame including a generally vertical plate and a generally horizontal plate and a swinging arm carrying said frame, a bracket on said vertical plate, a horizontal yoke carried in said bracket and a roller supported by said yoke to bear against the package face, yieldable means urging said frame toward the package spindle, primary guide means movable on said frame comprising a finger upstanding adjacent said vertical plate and a cam element rigid with said finger overlying said horizontal plate, a trackway for said primary guide means parallel to the package face, means synchronized wi the spindle drive for recipro catingsaid prima y guide means through a constant distance; secondary guide means comprising a cam element and a yarn guide fixed thereto, a trackway parallel to the package face determining the direction but not the amplitude of movement of a yarn guide; and tertiary guide meansaiiecting the amplitude but not the direction of movement of said yarn guide, said tertiary guide means comprising a trackway located between the paths of said'cam elements, a runner thereon, rigid connections from said runner to each of said cam elements, each said connection being movable with respect to its respective cam element, and means for changing the inclination of said tertiary trackway with respect to the package face in accordance with the attained thickness of the package.

5. In a yarn winding guide mechanism of the type which swings away from the package as the package builds up, a primary guide reciprocating parallel to the package face through a constant distance, and including a cam slot inclined counterclockwise from a perpendicular to the line of movement; a secondary guide including a cam slot movable in a path parallel but variable in length with respect to that of the primary cam slot, a yarn guide carried by said secondary guide,

and a connector between said slots movable with respect to each, a trackway whereon said connector moves, said, trackway being oi approximately the length of the primary guide path and inclinable upon its mid point with respect to said path, whereby according to the inclination of said trackway said connector causes the slots to intersect more or less closely to or remotely from the package face, thereby varying the length of travel of the secondary guide in comparison with the length 01 travel of the primary guide.

6. A'yarn winding guide mechanismcomprisin guides with overlapping oppositely inclined cams, means for reciprocating one of said guides through a path of constant length, and means for reciprocating the other of said guides from the first-named guide in aparallel path, said means including a connector between said cams, and means for varying the points of application of said connector during each reciprocation.

"7. A yarn wind n guide mechanism comprising guides with overlapping oppositely inclined cams, means for reciprocating one of said guides through a path of constant length, and means for reciprocating the other of said guides from the first-named guide in a parallel path, said means including a connector between said cams,

above said pad.

. tending studs ofiset relatively. to each other, each stud engaging in a slot.

10. In a yarn winding machine, the combination of a pair of reciprocating cam plates having crossing slots, and means interconnecting said plates including a member having oppositely extending studs ofiset relatively to each other, each stud engaging in a slot, and a pivoted guide rod on which said member is guided for reciprocation.

11. In a yarn winding machine, the combination of a pair of receiprocating cam plates having crossing slots, and means interconnecting said plates including a member having oppositely ex tending studs ofiset relatively to each other, each stud engaging in a slot, a guide for said member and means for varying the position of said guide to vary the relative movement of the plates.

12. In a yarn winding machine, the combination of a pair of reciprocating cam plates havplates including a member having oppositely extending studs, each stud engaging in a slot, and a, pivoted guide rod on which said member is guided for reciprocation.

14. In a yarn winding machine, the combination of a pair of reciprocating cam plates having crossing slots, and means interconnecting-said plates including a member having oppositely extending studs, each stud engaging in a slot, :1 guide for said member and means for varying the position of said guide to vary the relative movement of the plates.

15. In a yarn winding machine, the combination of a, reciprocating cam plate having an inclined slot, a guide memberextending at an angle to the slot, a yarn guide, and means interconnecting the yarn guide and plate and including a, slidable connector having a, pin engageable in said slot and guided by' the guide member.

16. .In a winding machine of the type having a frame mountedto swing away from the package spindle as the package builds up, a yarn guide. a primary guide means subjected to reciprocation of constant amplitude, a secondary guide carrying the yarn guide, meansinterconnecting the primary and secondary guides including an inclined slotted cam and pin, means for guiding the pin in a fixed path, and means for shifting the path to vary the reciprocation of the yarn guidecarrying the yarn guide, means interconnecting the primary and secondary guides including an inclined slotted cam and pin, a pivoted guide on which the pin is guided and means for pivotally moving. the pin guide by swinging of the frame to reduce the travel of the yarn guide as the package builds up.

18. In a windingmachine of the typehaving a frame mounted to-swing away from the package spindle as the package builds up, a yarn guide, a, primary guide means subjected to reciprocation of constant amplitude, a secondary guide carrying the yarn guide, means interconnecting the primary and secondary guides including mm 15 tion oi constant amplitude; a seco d guide cllnedelotted camandpimmeans for guiding the pininanxedpath,andmeanstormaintaininga definite angular relation between the path and the suriaoe oi the package.

19. In a yarn winding machine, the combination are pair of reciprocating cam plates having crossing slots, and'me'ans interconnecting said V plates including a connector having oppositely ettendingmeachpininasloha guide for said connector and means for holding the guide in a fixed angular position relatively to the surface 0! the package.

HOWARD E. SWIFT. EDWARD R. DAVIS. 

